Multiparty selective signaling and identification system



Jan. 31, 1956 R. c. MATLAcK E-rAL 2,733,297

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Jan. 31, 1956 R. c. MATLACK ET AL 2,733,297

MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 19 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 3, 1953 Jan. 31, 1956 R. c. MATLACK ETAL 2,733,297

MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM Filed Aug. 3, 1953 19 Sheets-Sheet 3 A TTOPNEY Jan. 31, 1956 R. c. MATLACK ET AL 2,733,297

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MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM Filed Aug. 3, 1953 19 sheets-sheet s Jan. 3l, 1956 R. c. MA1-LACK ETAL 2,733,297

MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM Filed Aug. 3, 1953 19 Sheets-Sheet 7 R/NG/NG COME/NATION REG/STER RELAYS oFF- vonMAL ATTORNEY Jap. 31, 1956 R. c. MA1-LACK ETAL MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM Filed Aug. 3, 1953 19 Sheets-Sheet 8 Anc. MArLAc/f /NvE/vro/Ps 5"- METZGER H. ,1g/LER By 90M ArroR/VEY Jan. 3l, 1956 R. c. MATLAcK ET Ax. 2,733,297

MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 19 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Aug. 5, 1953 A TTORNE Y MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 19 Sheets-sheet 1o Filed Aug. 3, 1953 ATTORNEY Jan. 31, 1956` R. c. MATLAcK ETAL 2,733,297

MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 19 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filerd Aug. 3, 1953 R. c. MA TLA cK /NvEA/roRs "'7 W- METZGER J. H. M/LLEF? By W ATTORNEY Jan. 31, 1956 R. c. MATLAcK ETAL MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 19 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Aug. 3, 1953 R. C. MATLACK Jan. 31', 1956 R. cQMATLAcK ET AL 2,733,297

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R. c. MA TLACK /NVENTORS E W METZGER J. H. M/LLER By E'. VROOM ATTORNEY Jan. 3l, 1956 RQc. MATLACK ET AL 2,733,297

MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 19 Sheets-Sheet 16 Filed Aug. 3, 1953 urm/ a@ f /NVENTORS M/LER BV E. VROOM ATTORNEY Jan. 31, 1956 R. c. MATLACK ETAL 2,733,297

MULTIPARTY sELEcIIvE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM Filed Aug. 3, 1953 19 Sheets-Sheet 17 A TTOPNEV Jan. 31, 1956 R. c. MA1-LACK ETAL 2,733,297

MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM 19 Sheets-Sheet 18 Filed Aug. 3, 1953 WWU ATTORNEY Jan. 3l, 1956 R. c. MATLAcK ET AL 2,733,297 v MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM Filed Aug. 3, 1953 19 Sheets-Sheet 19 NUMBER GROUP @VWM A TTORNEV United States Patent MULTIPARTY SELECTIVE SIGNALING AND IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM Richard C. Matlack, Summit, and Frederick W. Metzger, Rutherford, N. J., James H. Miller, Denver, Colo., and

Edward Vroom, Tarrytown, N. Y., assignors to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New Yor N. Y., a corporation of New York This invention relates to improvements in switching systems and more particularly to improved means for station signaling and station identification in an automatic telephone switching system o f the crossbar type.

With the expansion of automatic telephone systems to serve larger areas and to provide means for subscriber dialing of toll calls to adjacent areas through the advent of automatic message accounting, it has become imperative that accurate and reliable means be provided for automatically identifying all types of subscribers, on individual or party lines, who originate toll calls in order that charges may be properly billed. Furthermore the incorporation of automatic message accounting equipment in telephone systems will eliminate the necessity for the large number of message registers required for recording the number of calls each message-rate subscriber initiates, as this information can be recorded on the automatic message accounting tapes along with the billing information for the toll calls. Therefore in addition to the necessity for positive identification of all types of subscribers who originate toll calls, it is also desirable to be able to automatically identify message rate subscribers, both individual and multiparty, who originate local calls for which message rate charges are to b e made.

Various means have been employed in the past for identifying any of the four parties on a common line. These means generally require a ground return path which frequently is a source of undesirable noise and other interference in the telephone talking circuit. With such systems of the prior art it has not generally been possible to identify more than four subscribers on a common line without the intervention of an operator, Furthermore, to call a party on the same line with the calling subscriber (a reverting call) it has been necessary for the calling subscriber to hang up while the called subscriber was being rung. In some cases this means that the calling subscriber has to Wait a reasonable length of time until he believes the called party has answered and then lift his receiver. In other instances both parties are rung and the calling subscriber must wait until ringing has ceased indicating that the called party has answered. Also in the telephone systems of the prior art, it is not possible to positively and automatically identify a particular calling subscriber and a called subscriber on the same multiparty line who are originating and receiving a reverting call. For this reason subscribers on message rate party lines cannot be automatically charged for the reverting calls they originate and they have in the past been per.- mitted to initiate these calls without incurring message rate charges.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide `means for automatically and positively identifying any party station originating a call on a party line serving any desirable and, from a practical standpoint, unlimited number of subscribers.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for automatic signaling of any individual -party ice on a multiparty line serving any desirable and, from a practical standpoint, unlimited number of subscribers.

Another object is the more effective utilization of apparatus by employing one and the same means at subscribers stations for selectively ringing party line subscribers and identifying them when they make calls.

A further object of the invention is to provide positive identification of any subscriber originating a call whether over a separate line or a party line without resorting to marginal means or a plurality of differentiating tests as have heretofore been required.

Another object of the invention is -to provide means which will permit one subscriber on a multiparty line to call another subscriber on the same line Without having to hang up during the signaling period.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for automatic message rate charging of reverting calls originated by any individual message rate subscriber on a message rate multiparty line serving any desirable and, from a practical standpoint, unlimited number of subscribers.

The purpose of the invention is to secure these objects more effectively and reliably without impairing the quality of the talkingy circuit and with greater economy of apparatus than has heretofore been possible.

The general manner in which these objects are attained is by the use of a tuned vibrating reed selector device installed at the party line telephone subscribers stations in combination with a plurality of similarly tuned reed selectors installed at the automatic telephone switching oiice.

Details of a preferred embodiment of the invention are disclosed by the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l shows a diagrammatic form a telephone system of the crossbar type with associated automatic message accounting equipment in which the present invention has been incorporated;

Fig. 2 shows how Figs. 3 through 21 should be placed in relation to one another to disclose in more detail the circuits of a telephone system of the crossbar type and associated automatic message accounting equipment in which the present invention has been incorporated.

Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically, subscribers lines terminating on line link frames and the associated line link marker connectors, line link connectors, trunk link frames and trunk link connectors of a crossbar telephone system;

Fig. 4 shows in schematic form the circuit of the party station identifier of the present invention in its application to a telephone system of the crossbar type;

Fig. 5 shows in schematic form the party station register of the present invention which is added to the originating register circuit of a crossbar telephone system;

Fig. 6 shows in diagrammatic form a part of the originating register circuit of a crossbar telephone system andthe modification of the calling line class registers therein to ladd a reed frequency party line registers;

Fig. 7 shows in diagrammatic form the originating register marker connector, the sender connector, the sender, thesender link and the transverter connector of a crossbar telephone system and shows that the sender has been modified to include a party station register similar to that shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 shows in diagrammatic form the transverter, translator connector, recorder, trunk identifier and master timer of the automatic message accounting equipment and shows that the transverter has been modified to include a party station register similar to that shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 9 shows in diagrammatic form a portion of the registers and relays in the marker circuit of a crossbar telephone system; 

